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Foresters vow 'hard look' at Biscuit Fire rehab proposal By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Burned trees along roads and trails and in recreation sites should be felled, and salvage logging should be considered in other areas charred by the Biscuit Fire, according to recommendations made in a U.S. Forest Service assessment of post-fire conditions. An agency team will examine the recommendations this month, according to Tom Link, Biscuit Fire Recovery Project Manager for the Siskiyou National Forest. "We need to take a hard look at the recommendations and come up with a set of proposed actions," Link said. The post-fire assessment, released Wednesday, covers the 460,000 acres of Siskiyou National Forest burned last summer and fall by the Biscuit Fire - a fire that totaled 500,000 acres. It recommends the removal of hazardous trees in areas used by humans, work that would not require detailed environmental studies, according to Forest Service officials. The assessment also calls for consideration of preparing one or more environmental assessments covering salvage logging options on matrix lands - those previously designated for timber harvest - and possibly for late successional, or old growth, reserves outside of inventoried roadless areas. Preparation of a more detailed environmental impact statement should be considered for salvage in inventoried roadless areas and old growth reserves, according to the assessment. On matrix lands, 15,150 acres of merchantable stands that burned at 50 percent mortality or higher fall within two miles of existing roads. Another 36,568 acres of old growth reserves burned at that intensity in proximity to roads, the assessment reported. Overall, the Biscuit Fire burned with unusual severity, with 49 percent of the forest suffering 75 to 100 percent canopy mortality, according to the assessment. "It burned a lot hotter than we've experienced in the past," Link said. "It did have a very high percentage of high mortality. Almost 50 percent of the fire was in the high category." The fire was worsened by dry conditions, winds and a buildup of fuels, he said. But just because the fire burned over vast areas does not mean large areas are available for salvage, Link said. A variety of factors will be considered, and some areas are off limits to harvest, including the nearly 178,000 acres of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area that burned, he said. On other issues, the assessment contained a number of recommendations, including: reforest and revegetate 31,000 acres, with special emphasis on planting fire tolerant tree species; replace and improve culverts, add gravel surfacing to roads and revegetate sloped roadsides in high risk areas; consider closing some areas to off-highway vehicle use and developing a plan to use fire lines, roads and trails for the vehicles; monitor the spread of invasive weeds and consider conducting an environmental study of weed control options, including use of herbicides; assess the feasibility of transplanting elk from over-populated areas to meadows created by the fire; restore riparian areas; install signs to warn visitors and Rogue River users of falling snags; and, repair and replace campgrounds, trails and other recreational facilities. The Forest Service conducted meetings to gather public input on Biscuit Fire issues in December and January, and will collect further input before preparing any environmental assessments and environmental impact statements. Those documents also are subject to public comment. The Forest Service encourages people to view the Biscuit Post-Fire Assessment, along with a summary of findings and recommendations, on the Internet at biscuitfire.com. Copies of the 200-plus page document also are available to check out, read and return at all offices and ranger districts of the Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests, including the Ashland Ranger District at 645 Washington St. A limited number of copies also are available for distribution by calling Janice Schultz at 541-471-6722. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -